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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28185114">Harper's Story</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkSiren/pseuds/InkSiren'>InkSiren</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sharpe's Fanfic [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sharpe (TV), Sharpe - All Media Types, Sharpe Series - Bernard Cornwell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Banter, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-typical language, Found Family, Gen, Hearts, Light Angst, PTSD, Whump</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:27:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,019</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28185114</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkSiren/pseuds/InkSiren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A game among the rifles gets a little rough and Patrick is harshly reminded that a man doesn't need to be bleeding to be mortally wounded.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sharpe's Fanfic [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2034673</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Harper's Story</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Early in his career as a soldier, Patrick once killed a man by hitting him in the sternum with the butt of his rifle. </p><p>He hadn't even realized it at first, thought he'd just knocked the breath clean out of him, but a moment later the other soldier had staggered, gasped, and fallen to the ground. Patrick had been so astonished he'd knelt and felt for a pulse, finding none. </p><p>He learned later that not only could you kill a man by hitting him in the chest, you could do it without any weapon at all and he might drop as much as a full day later with little warning. </p><p>It was something he couldn't possibly forget, though he didn't consciously remember it until he tackled Richard while they were playing a heated match of football and Richard didn't get back up right away. </p><p>Normally keeping Sharpe down was like wrestling a fish. He'd wriggle out every time and elbow Patrick in the nose or jaw for good measure. It was why they learned to all pile on him instead: one man alone couldn't possibly hope to keep him down, and once you managed to catch him you better try to keep him still. </p><p>Richard was very good at football, and Patrick was very competitive. </p><p>"Thought you had me leaping like a rabbit there but I've learned your tell," he laughed, thumping Richard on the shoulder before climbing off of him with the ball. "I'm getting faster too, you'll be running out of tactics soon."</p><p>He smiled, tossing the ball in the air and catching it with a flourish as he turned back, expecting Richard to be scrambling up with a litany of curses. Instead, Richard was still on his knees and unnervingly silent, muscles spasming oddly before he gasped and gulped air. It sounded painful and he fell into a fit of coughing almost immediately after, fingers digging into the dirt as he tried to breathe. Patrick felt his heart seize and forgot the ball, dropping it as he knelt next to his friend.</p><p>"Sir?" He asked, hand on Richard's shoulder, scrambling to try and see what was wrong. As Richard lifted his head his lip was bloody and he was grinning, meeting Patrick's terrified expression with another huge gasp, this time straightening up. "You knocked the breath clean out of me you bastard," he said, blood running down the corner of his mouth. "Bugger me you hit hard." </p><p>He ducked his head and smeared the blood away across the back of his arm, moving to get up. Patrick helped him on instinct, unable to unstick his throat enough to speak. Richard gave him a frown and shrugged him off, not quite aggressive but not gentle either. </p><p>"M' fine Patrick you can let go," he said, glancing over with a suspicious expression. "You've gone pale did you hurt yourself too?" </p><p>Mute, Patrick shook his head and shakily stepped back, looking down as he did to Richard's bare chest. As usual, he could catch the flutter of Richard's heart beating between his lower ribs on most exhales. It was rapid and so was Richard's breathing. Impossible to mistake. </p><p>He didn't feel better. </p><p>"Pat?" Richard pressed, sounding concerned. "What's gotten into you?" He snapped his fingers, then grabbed at Patrick's arm when he twitched to move away. "Hey, don't make me give you an order!" </p><p>Patrick pulled away anyway, ignoring the indignant response. He couldn't really hear, anyway. He needed to get away.</p><p>The impulse didn't fully make sense and it angered Patrick but he avoided Richard for the next day. He brought him tea and dinner as usual and looked him in the eye long enough to see the hurt and reproach before he retreated with a muttered excuse and ate with Ramona instead. At morning inspection he felt sick until Richard showed, looking just as lively as always, back straight and head held high with his coat improperly buttoned as usual. </p><p>Patrick managed to avoid him until after lunch, when he felt the officer side of Sharpe come out. He stood in the way of Patrick leaving the supplies tent and locked eyes with him, one hand resting on the sword at his hip.</p><p>"Alright Pat you've had your sulk but now you're avoiding me like a scorned girl so spit it out. What's eating you? And that is an order."</p><p>Nothing about Richard's squared shoulders, apparent anger or the hurt beneath it suggested he was about to fall over dead, and Patrick worked his jaw, crossing his arms. </p><p>"I thought I killed you, yesterday."</p><p>Richard, clearly expecting anything but that as an answer, blinked. "What?"</p><p>"My first real skirmish, when I was still wet behind the ears I hit a man with the butt of my gun and he dropped like God had cut the strings off him. He was dead in seconds. Blow to the heart. No blood. No warning. No breath to scream. He was just dead."</p><p>Richard looked suddenly sympathetic and his shoulders softened, hand relaxing on his sword. "Pat..."</p><p>"Then I found out you don't even need a gun to kill someone that way," he continued, unable to stop. "You hit them hard enough it might take a day but the heart has had such a shock of it it just gives up." </p><p>He was unable to stop staring at Richard then, afraid to break eye contact. </p><p>"You knocked the breath from me," Richard said evenly, approaching Patrick like he was a spooked horse. "You didn't even hit me in the chest you just landed on me you heavy bastard." </p><p>He said it fondly, gripping Patrick's shoulder good-naturedly. The grip was strong. Patrick finally looked at the dirt, and nodded. </p><p>"I'm fine Pat. Not even properly bruised, just my pride. Promise." </p><p>Patrick was silent for a long moment before he shrugged. "Well that you probably needed injured. I did you a service, really."</p><p>Richard snorted and cuffed the side of Patrick's head. </p><p>"That's how you talk to your superior officer when he's reprimanding you?" he asked, turning to leave the tent.</p><p>"Absolutely, sir."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Commotio cordis is the sudden stopping of the heart from a physical blow to the chest. Also possible is to sustain enough trauma that the heart starts to swell and without treatment will stop hours after the injury. This almost happened to Sylvester Stallone after getting beaten up filming one of the Rocky movies, and if he hadn't gone to the hospital he would have died.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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